An Israeli tourism brochure depicting the Old City of Jerusalem has been banned by Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for presenting a “misleading” image, which suggests the Palestinian enclave is Israeli.

The ASA banned the
leaflet on Wednesday after consumers lodged complaints.

Its headline, “Israel: Land of Creation,” showed a
photograph of the walled Old City and Muslim Dome of the Rock
against more modern buildings of West Jerusalem.

The caption read “Israel has it all,” adding
“everyone falls for the Old City, with its narrow (and
car-free) alleys, teeming pilgrims and bazaar-like buzz,”
AFP reported.

The ASA issued a statement saying consumers had complained the
advertising presented a “misleading” image of the Old
City as a widely accepted part of Israel.

However, the Israeli Government Tourist Office (IGTO) argued:
“The brochure made clear a distinction between Israel and the
Occupied Territories and believed the ad needed to be considered
in that context.”

They further denied any implication that East Jerusalem and the
Old City of Jerusalem were part of Israel.

“IGTO said the issue surrounding sovereignty over Jerusalem
was widely known to the British public,” the authority
reported.

They added that the leaflet was intended to make a practical
statement, and did not make a political message.

The ASA, however, said they took the decision because the comment
“Israel has it all,” could cause readers to “regard
the [brochure] as presenting the Old City of Jerusalem as being
part of Israel.”

They added that they “understood that the status of the
territories in question was the subject of much international
dispute.”

The authority states it is “required to consider whether they
are likely to cause consumers to take a transactional decision
that they would not otherwise have taken,” and concluded the
average consumer would “not necessarily be aware of the
status of the territory in question,” making the brochure
misleading.

The leaflet’s ban follows criticism by the US government of
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for making a speech to
congress about Iran and stirring up international tensions.

The White House said his motive was to try to build US opposition
to any deal on Iran.

Following the speech, US President Barack Obama told reporters he
had seen “nothing new” in the speech transcript.

“On the core issue, which is how to prevent Iran from
obtaining a nuclear weapon which would make it far more
dangerous, the prime minister did not offer any viable
alternatives,” he said.